Page 51: of Maritime Reporter Magazine (March 2013)

www.marinelink.com 51of this new facility, we aim to steepen the learning curve and broaden the skill set in a shorter amount of time. Leading this effort is one of our most valued, long- term employees, David Hauser. With more than 35 years of technical experi-ence, David has extensive understanding of all Karl Senner LLC products, as well as their interaction in the dynamic sys-tem of the driveline. The training pro- gram will include comprehensive and practical courses specializing in all Karl Senner, LLC products. The courses will range from general safety and standard overhauls to complex troubleshooting of the entire driveline. The curriculum will be primarily targeted at Karl Senner LLC- service technicians, but additional courses will also be available for opera-tors. We hope that owner/operators take the opportunity to send members of the crew to attend abridged courses focused on the speciÞ c equipment that they will be operating. Graduates of the courses should leave with a good understanding of equipment fundamentals and the abil-ity to service the exterior of the units, as well as a comprehensive foundation for troubleshooting the entire driveline. You are also developing curriculum for your training center, both in terms of skills, but also safety. Tell us about Steve Fisk, why you chose him and what he is developing in-house. Safety has always been an im-portant area of focus at KS, but in order to fulÞ ll customer requirements for today?s demanding reporting and auditing needs, we have decided to proactively formal-ize our program, and take it to the next level of hazard mitigation, situational awareness, and process and project doc-umentation. We have brought aboard Steve Fisk (Manager Safety, PP&E) as another great new addition to our team. Steve comes to us from DuPont, where he most recently managed high hazard process safety and product stewardship for the Chlorinated Elastomers product lines. Steve brings 18 years of industrial Safety Protocol/Procedure knowledge to our ofÞ ce and to the Þ eld. We anticipate a push from customers to perform safety audits on their vendors, and aim to be prepared before these requirements are in effect. We are implementing a con- tinual improvement mechanism that will ultimately provide a safer environment for our customers, our team and those working around us.The Safety curriculum will be com-posed of core principles and task speciÞ c directives. Employees will be exposed to several different training delivery styles in order to increase retention and encourage ownership of safe work prac-tices. Written policies, graphical presen- tations, hands on training and practice, and documented testing and skill dem-onstrations will all be used to give em-ployees the tools and knowledge needed to perform their tasks in a safe and se-cure manner. The KS training center is currently under construction and we hope to have the center fully operational by the end of the second quarter of this year. Are there other plans to modernize and expand facilities and equipment? Alongside the training facility we are building a tool center where we can better manage the use and condition of tools in the Þ eld. Job-speci Þ c tools and instruments will be kitted and kept in top condition and regularly inspected, so they are ready for use. Upon comple-tion of the training facility and tool cen-ter, we have already planned to upgrade our Parts and Service Department of-Þ ces. Sometime in the Þ rst half of 2013, we plan to install a new test bench for gearboxes, Z-drives and CPPs to check functionality, and af Þ rm overhauled equipment is ready for duty. And our long-term renovation plan focusses on a new on-site Service Center using higher hook-heights and larger cranes allowing us to work on even larger equipment and reduce risks. Talk about the importance of having test equipment local, on site. The new test bench will primar- ily be used for KS ?serviced? equipment, as all new equipment has already been tested at their respective factories. The test bench will allow us to start-up and run serviced equipment at our facility to monitor operating conditions, loads and potentially R&D experiments. This will further assure our customers that the equipment as delivered is free of faults and ready for immediate reliable service.You said the business of propulsion was evolving from a Þ xed pitch ap- proach to that of a DP / Z-drive men- tality. How has that changed your business? We have been seeing the grad- ual rise in DP demand every day; more and more contractors are requiring DP capability. From our perspective, CPP and/or Z-drive applications are the best solutions for maneuverability in DP mode. However, we have also been suc- cessful in delivering Reintjes Reverse Gearboxes for Þ xed pitch applications, together with BERG Thruster Units for DP 1- a system that has been working ß awlessly. Steerprop Steerprop CRP (Counter Rotating Pro- pellers) units in particular are 10-15% more efÞ cient than conventional drives of the same rating. The CRP is a proven, high-efÞ ciency drive system that yields a substantial reduction in NOX emissions. And, with improved maneuverability and higher blade area ratios, these units dramatically reduce noise and vibrations by nearly eliminating cavitation. Berg Berg ? CPPs have come a long way since the conventional push-pull rods. Berg?s revolutionary design for the CPP units features full feathering with full astern. The circulating hub-oil system assures clean oil is always where it?s needed most. The ability to drain water in case of a seal breech is another advantage of situational awareness. In addition to the CPPs, Berg also offers a quite robust bow thruster, designed for continuous maximum duty through 30,000 hours, with TBOs exceeding 30,000 hours. ReintjesReintjes gearboxes, with their high-reliability/high-efÞ ciency design, along with many available options for PTOs/ PTIs, make them a very versatile com-ponent of any power distribution system. MR #3 (50-58).indd 51MR #3 (50-58).indd 513/1/2013 10:35:16 AM3/1/2013 10:35:16 AM